Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

KPMG: Finance

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government who received (1) the £13 million fine levied from KPMG, and (2) the £500,000 levied from KMPG’s insolvency partner, as ordered by the Financial Report Council after the Silentnight insolvency.

Lord Callanan: The FRC undertook the investigation into Silentnight under its accountancy scheme. For statutory audit investigations since 2016 this scheme has not applied and fines are paid into HM Treasury’s consolidated fund. However, the Silentnight investigation was into KPMG’s accounting services and was launched in 2015 so fines and any costs recovered are paid to the relevant chartered accountancy body. In this case they were paid to the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Aircraft: Carbon Emissions

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Airlander hybrid air vehicle and its potential impact on achieving net zero carbon emissions in the air transport sector; and what steps they plan to take, if any, to support the creation of a green aerospace cluster in south Yorkshire to deliver the Airlander hybrid air vehicle project to production stage.

Lord Callanan: Earlier this year the Department for Transport consulted on the Jet Zero Strategy, which will set out steps to reach net zero aviation emissions by 2050. Working towards this ambition, the Department is co-funding new, zero carbon UK aircraft technology through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme. This is a commitment from both industry and the Government to co-invest £3.9 billion in aerospace research and development from 2013 to 2026. This programme has agreed grants of £1.7 million to Hybrid Air Vehicles. The same programme has supported 343 aerospace technology projects, with total Government and industry funding of £3.2 billion across the UK, including the emerging green aerospace cluster in South Yorkshire.

ICF: Green Homes Grant Scheme

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are used by ICF Consulting Services Ltd to assess value for money in the Green Homes Grant; and what assessment they have made of ICF’s (1) performance in assessing value for money, and (2) overall performance of their contract.

Lord Callanan: It is the responsibility of the Department to assess value for money of the scheme, not the contractor. The Department uses Net Present Value (NPV) to assess the current and future benefits and costs of a policy. We have reached a commercial settlement with ICF about their ability to meet their contractual obligations and the exit and transition of the contract.

KPMG: Silentnight

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to bring criminal charges against KPMG’s insolvency partner for misconduct during the Silentnight insolvency.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service is considering the facts of the case and the Financial Reporting Council’s Disciplinary Tribunal report published in October this year.

Carillion: Directors

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Carillion directors have been disqualified from future company directorships.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service, acting for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has applied to the High Court for director disqualification orders against eight directors and former directors of Carillion. The proceedings are ongoing.

Insolvency: Regulation

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how are ombudsmen used by those responsible for regulating insolvency practitioners (1) selected, (2) appointed, and (3) remunerated.

Lord Callanan: The four recognised professional bodies (RPBs) responsible for the regulation of Insolvency Practitioners do not engage ombudsmen in their oversight systems. However, each RPB has independent committees that oversee regulatory decisions. In order to maintain independence, the committees require an equal or majority lay membership. Further, each of the RPB’s complaints processes includes potential referral of a complaint to an independent reviewer of complaints. The reviewers of complaints are lawyers who work independently and consider an RPB’s decision where it has determined there is no case to answer.

Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill 2021-22: Insolvency Service

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they provide to the Insolvency Service; and what additional resources, if any, they will provide to the Service if the Rating (Coronavirus) Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill is passed.

Lord Callanan: Funding for the Insolvency Service’s investigation and enforcement activities for the financial year 2020/21 was £44.1m. More detail can be found in the Insolvency Service’s Annual Plan 2020/21.

Property: China and Hong Kong

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of property owned in London by (1) the government of China, and (2) officialsin the government of Hong Kong.

Lord Callanan: HM Land Registry registers legal ownership, interests, mortgages and other secured loans against land and property in England and Wales. The Register of Title does not record the nationality or employment status of individual title owners of land or property. The Register of Title records information where a non-UK Government is the registered owner, and the People’s Republic of China is the registered owner of 60 titles in the Greater London boundary.

Company Law

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the consultation on Insolvency and Corporate Governance, published on 26 August 2018, what plans they have to bring forward further measures in addition to the Rating (Coronavirus) Bill and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill regarding (1) group companies, (2) shareholder stewardship, (3) directors duties, (4) the payment of dividends, and (5) creditor protection.

Lord Callanan: It remains the Government’s intention to implement the insolvency and director disqualification measures announced in 2018 as soon as parliamentary time allows.The Government’s latest plans for improving corporate governance are set out in the White Paper, Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance published on 18 March 2021. This sets out a wide range of proposals, including options for strengthening boardroom accountability for effective internal control systems and proposals to give the regulator new enforcement powers relating to breaches of directors’ statutory duties relating to corporate reporting and audit. The White Paper also sets out proposals for strengthening the law on dividends and capital maintenance. The Government is considering responses to the White Paper and will publish its final plans in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to inform, and (2) to encourage, individuals over the age of 50 to take up the free NHS flu vaccine.

Lord Kamall: To inform and encourage individuals over 50 years old to take up a free flu vaccine, NHS England and NHS Improvement have recommissioned the national call and recall service to complement local mechanisms targetting groups of eligible individuals, including 50 to 64 year olds, informing them of their flu vaccination eligibility and reminding them to make an appointment. In addition, this year’s marketing campaign encourages eligible cohorts to book their flu vaccine without delay. Campaign advertising on broadcast media including terrestrial television, billboards, video on demand and radio will run across a nine week schedule, supported by digital and social media channels, activities aimed at multicultural audiences, stakeholder partnerships and public relations.

Doctors: Recruitment

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to meet the long-term need for sustainable numbers of doctors within the NHS.

Lord Kamall: We have commissioned Health Education England to develop a 15 year forward view of National Health Service workforce requirements. The report is expected to be published in spring 2022.We have funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England.

Ambulance Services

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to reduce ambulance wait times this winter.

Lord Kamall: National Health Service ambulance trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve response times. This includes continuous monitoring and support through the National Ambulance Coordination Centre and an extra £55 million for ambulance trusts to increase staff numbers ahead of winter, helping them to recruit more 999 call handlers and clinicians to work in control rooms.

Hospital Beds: Coronavirus

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of NHS beds are currently occupied with COVID-19 patients.

Lord Kamall: The proportion of National Health Service general and acute beds occupied with COVID-19 patients is 6.6% as at 22 October 2021.

Diagnosis

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timescale for the rollout of (1) community diagnostic hubs pilots, and (2) the remaining community diagnostic hubs.

Lord Kamall: The National Health Service is planning to establish 44 community diagnostic centres across England this year. Centres will begin to provide services over the next six months, with all fully operational by March 2022. Thirty seven early adopter sites are already open and provided an additional 96,000 tests by the 10 October. Regions are working with local trusts and systems, diagnostic networks and primary care services to determine the location and configuration of services, based on the needs of the local population.

NHS and Social Services: Finance

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the proposed split of funds between the NHS and social care, as set out inBuild Back Better: our plan for health and social care, published in September.

Lord Kamall: We will set out our plans for future spending on health and social care following the Spending Review.

Mental Health Services: Racial Discrimination

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle racial inequalities in the mental health system.

Lord Kamall: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, all local health systems are expected to set out how they will specifically reduce health inequalities by 2023/24.In 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the Advancing mental health equalities strategy which sets out actions to create more equitable access, experience and outcomes in mental health services in England. Specifically, the strategy includes the development of the patient and carers race equality framework to support mental health services to improve ethnic minority communities’ experience of care. A copy of the strategy is attached.As part of our plans to reform the Mental Health Act 1983, we are also developing culturally appropriate advocacy for people of all ethnic backgrounds, as well as conducting research that aims to support the improvement in mental health outcomes for people from ethnic minority communities.Advancing Mental Health Equalities Strategy (pdf, 410.5KB)

Social Services: Staff

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the problems with the (1) recruitment, and (2) retention, of social care staff.

Lord Kamall: On 21 October 2021, the Department announced a new £162.5 million Workforce Recruitment and Retention fund to support local authorities working with providers to recruit and retain social care staff this winter. The next phase of the national adult social care recruitment campaign will be launched in early November and we are also working alongside the Department for Work and Pensions to promote adult social care careers in job centres. In addition, we will invest at least £500 million across three years in social care workforce professionalisation and development, wellbeing and mental health support, to improve retention of staff in the sector.

Obesity: Health Services

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average additional cost to the NHS of every patient moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services.

Lord Kamall: We are not able to estimate the average additional cost of moving all patients treated in Tier 3 services to management under Tier 4 from existing data. There are currently no national tariffs for Tier 3 specialist weight management services and national tariffs of bariatric surgery vary dependent on the type of procedure.

Travel: Coronavirus

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 12 October (HL2766),how many suppliers they list as providing PCR tests for travel on the Gov.uk website; what information they require from suppliers who appear on that list; what checks they undertake of firms on that list; and what is the (1) lowest, (2) highest, (3) mean, and (4) median, cost of such tests advertised by suppliers on that list.

Lord Kamall: As of 15 October 2021, there are currently 555 providers of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for travel listed on GOV.UK.Suppliers are required to complete a self-declaration against the Government’s minimum standards, which the United Kingdom Accreditation Service will review to met. Providers of COVID-19 testing services are required to apply for accreditation to provide sample collection and/or sample testing services The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Testing Requirements and Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 set out the deadlines for obtaining accreditation. Providers may not market these tests if these deadlines are not met.The Department monitors issues raised by the public, data submitted by the provider and reports from regulatory and oversight bodies. Where the Department identifies that a supplier is not providing the high-quality service expected, we can ask for remedial action. Where minimum standards have not been met or public safety is at risk, we will ask for improvements to be made and the provider could be removed from the GOV.UK listing.The lowest cost of such tests is £1.25 and the highest is £1080.00. While the median cost is not collected centrally, the mean cost is £45.00

Obesity: Health Services

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients requiringTier 3 Specialist Weight Management Services went on to require Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services in the latest year for which data are available.

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients are waiting for bariatric surgery or similar interventions at Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management; and how long on average those patients are waiting for such surgery or similar interventions.

Lord Kamall: This data is not routinely collected centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement are in the process of engaging with trusts to better understand the current position on waiting times. A planned National Obesity Audit will provide information on conversion rates from Tier 3 Specialist Weight Management Services to Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their future management of COVID-19 will be determined by scientific advice.

Lord Kamall: The Government continues to listen to advice provided by the scientific community, including the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and its sub-groups, when making decisions on the approach to the management of COVID-19.

Supermax Healthcare

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of alleged labour abuses by the Malaysian glove maker Supermax; how many products from that company they have purchased; and what was the cost of those purchases.

Lord Kamall: We will be investigating the claims made against Supermax. We have made strong commitments to eradicate modern slavery from all contracts in the Government’s supply chain. A due diligence process is carried out for all Government contracts and our suppliers are required to follow the highest legal and ethical standards. If they fail to do so, we will remove them from current and future procurements. In July 2021, we placed an order with Supermax for 135 million gloves at a cost of £7.9 million. Our purchase process includes safeguards to both strengthen due diligence and to terminate a contract should there be substantiated allegations against a provider.

Obesity: Health Services

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that encouraging GPs to refer patients to medical weight loss clinics would have on levels of obesity.

Lord Kamall: No direct assessment has been made. However, evidence has shown that general practitioners (GP) referrals are effective at encouraging the uptake of weight management services and subsequently result in increased weight loss for those referred. This evidence has informed the decision to invest £20.4 million in the Weight Management Enhanced Service, which financially incentivises GPs to refer individuals to weight management services. We are committed to evaluating the impact of the 2021/22 Weight Management Enhanced Service.

NHS: Staff

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address excessive staff workload in the NHS.

Lord Kamall: The National Health Service has established a People Recovery Task Force to ensure that all NHS staff, including students and trainees, are able to recover and maintain their wellbeing as we plan and deliver the restoration of services. We have put in place a comprehensive support package available to all NHS staff which includes health and wellbeing apps, a counselling helpline and text service, as well as 40 mental health hubs.In the longer term we are addressing capacity in the workforce by delivering 50,000 more nurses and ensuring a sustainable supply of staff in future. We funded an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places per year at English universities in 2020/21, with the total number of medical school training places in England now at 7,500 per year.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow 12–15 year olds to attend COVID-19 vaccination centres.

Lord Kamall: The school-based vaccination offer will continue in schools over the autumn. However, the vaccination programme has now expanded to enable parents or guardians to choose whether their child receives their dose in school or at a vaccination centre. An increasing number of vaccination sites will begin offering 12 to 15 year olds vaccine appointments over the coming weeks, including general practitioner practices and community pharmacies.

Coronavirus: Screening

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the private providers of COVID-19 tests listed on the GOV.UK website are not accredited by UKAS; and what steps they have taken, if any, (1) to make clear to website users that a listed provider is unaccredited, or (2) to remove unaccredited companies from the website.

Lord Kamall: Only providers who are providing sample collection and/or sample testing services are required to apply for accreditation. As of 21 October 2021, 189 organisations have achieved full accreditation for the testing services they provide. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Testing Requirements and Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 set out the deadlines for obtaining accreditation. Providers must not market tests if these deadlines are not met. Currently, we have no plans to differentiate between organisations based on their accreditation status but we will continue to review the situation.

Embryos

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority website about the “limited evidence on risks and success rates” for mitochondrial replacement techniques; how many embryos have been generated to date using each particular technique; how many such embryos have been transferred to patients; how many confirmed pregnancies have resulted since then; and how such outcomes remain consistent with expectations from the scientific review by the HFEA in 2016 about the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception.

Lord Kamall: The Department has not made an assessment. The statement aims to provide basic information to potential patients and the reference to limited evidence on risks and success rates reflects that this treatment has only been available in the United Kingdom for the last few years.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that to date it has licensed 24 patients as eligible for mitochondrial donation treatment in the UK. To protect patient confidentiality, information on the number of embryos produced, transferred, and confirmed pregnancies cannot be disclosed. No assessment of the safety and efficacy of mitochondrial donation treatment has been made to date as the number of treatments in the UK is low.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the temporary expansion in 2021/21 of eligibility for the free seasonal flu vaccination on the uptake of the flu vaccination among 50–64 year olds that were not in a clinical risk group.

Lord Kamall: During the 2020/21 flu season, the 50 to 64 year old cohort was introduced to the vaccination programme from 1 December 2020, subject to prioritisation of other eligible groups and vaccine supply. The end of season uptake for 50 to 64 year olds not in a clinical risk group was 35.2%.For the 2021/22 flu season, the 50 to 64 year old age group were eligible from 1 September 2021. The latest available data shows that 15.4% of the cohort who are not in a clinical risk group have been vaccinated.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Baroness Browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) residential home, and (2) nursing home, capacity in England since March 2020.

Lord Kamall: In March 2020, there were 234,416 residential care beds which decreased by 0.4% to 233,444 in October 2021. The number of nursing beds in March 2020 was 222,607 which rose by 1.1% to 224,979 in October 2021.Since March 2020, the number of overall care beds rose by 0.3% to 458,423 in October 2021.

Coronavirus

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 29 September (HL2638), whatassessment they have made of the higher hospitalisations and fatalities relating to COVID-19recorded in England, compared to those reported in other Western European countries; and whatwere the main conclusions of any such assessment.

Lord Kamall: The UK Health Security Agency has not made this comparative assessment. Direct international comparisons of COVID-19 hospitalisations and fatalities in countries are complicated by a range of different factors such as the proportion of the population vaccinated, the timeliness of the vaccine delivery, non-pharmaceutical interventions and compliance and differences in reporting of key COVID-19 epidemiological metrics in different countries. Even when using several indicators, comparisons between countries should be carried out with caution.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate COVID-19 vaccinations for school age children.

Lord Kamall: All school-aged children between 12 to 15 years old are being offered their COVID-19 vaccination in their schools. The vaccination programme has been expanded to enable parents or guardians to choose whether their child receives their dose in school or at a vaccination centre. An increasing number of vaccination sites will begin offering appointments to 12 to 15 year olds in the coming weeks, including general practitioner practices and community pharmacies.The National Health Service national booking service will provide an additional way for parents to book a COVID-19 vaccine for their child, alongside the existing schools programme. Parents and guardians will be given the option to book a vaccine appointment online or by calling 119. School Age Immunisation Service providers have alternative plans for those who are home schooled, in further education colleges, secure services or specialist mental health settings.

Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of alcohol marketing on alcohol consumption.

Lord Kamall: The Government’s evidence review on the public health burden of alcohol in 2016 found evidence that exposure to alcohol marketing can increase the risk that children will start to drink alcohol, or if they already drink, can increase the risk that they will consume greater quantities. There is evidence to show exposure to alcohol advertising can induce physiological cravings to drink, but not necessarily relapse, among ex-dependent drinkers. However, this was from a single study and more research is needed to fully understand the impact. We continue to monitor the emerging evidence in this area.

Medical Equipment: Innovation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposals by the Medical Technologies Directorate for mandatory adoption of innovative medical devices; and what proportion of all submissions to the Directorate are forecast to benefit from mandatory adoption.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by the Medical Technologies Directorate to adopt evidence assessment processes used in relation to pharmaceutical products to assess innovative medical devices.

Lord Kamall: The Medical Technologies Directorate is working with public sector and industry stakeholders to consider various approaches to the product pathway for medical devices as part of a wider strategy. Plans to publish this strategy will be brought forward in due course.Clinicians have the professional autonomy to choose an appropriate treatment based on the best available evidence. Mandatory adoption of certain devices could interfere with this clinical judgement and undermine the patient-doctor relationship. We will consider the access and appropriate adoption of innovative devices with other organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Accelerated Access Collaborative.Many aspects of the medicines model are not transferable given the differences between the two sectors in terms of product range, scope, diversity of suppliers and level of Government involvement in the market. A review of proposals which could drive consistency in evaluation of innovation will be taken forward as part of the strategy development work.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by the Senior Deputy Speaker on 14 October (HL2826), what is the justification for retaining the requirement for Table Clerks to wear robes, given that the requirement to wear horsehair wigs has been abandoned.

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the reason for not providing wigs for the temporary Table Clerks while the House was sitting under the hybrid House guidance was on the grounds of cost; and if so, why the Table Clerks in possession of wigs are not wearing them now that the House is no longer operating under that guidance.

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the former Lord Speaker was consulted on the decision that Table Clerks would no longer wear wigs; and if so, whether he gave his consent to that decision.

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker who was consulted before the decision was made that Table Clerks would not wear wigs (1) while the House was sitting under the hybrid House guidance, and (2) after the House had ceased operate under that guidance.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Clerk of the Parliaments is by law the employer of the staff of the House and responsible for all terms and conditions of employment. During the pandemic, the then Clerk of the Parliaments decided that Clerks at the Table during regular business of the House should wear a gown over business attire, and that this would be worn by all the Clerks at the Table. The then Lord Speaker was consulted and acknowledged the change to Table Clerk attire, on a temporary basis, though he expressed a preference for the wearing of traditional table dress and gown, but without wigs.Having some element of uniform allowed the Clerk in the Chamber to be identified by Members in the House wishing to seek advice. The decision was taken for a number of reasons, including cost grounds, the potentially temporary duration of the new Table Clerks’ appointments, and the impracticality of acquiring new uniforms during the pandemic. Throughout the ongoing pandemic, the full uniform previously worn has continued to be worn in full at high ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, and in modified form on other ceremonial occasions including Prorogation; for the Introduction Ceremonies of new Lords Spiritual and Temporal (when ceremonial dress is worn by others) and for Tributes in the Chamber.The Clerk of the Parliaments is considering the position now that the House is no longer operating under the hybrid House guidance. The Clerk of the Parliaments has received representations on this matter from a number of Members of the House and would be very willing to hear the views of others. In deciding what the position will be in future, the Clerk of the Parliaments will need to reflect upon a number of factors including cost, efficiency, the views expressed by Members, and the public perception of the House. The Clerk of the Parliaments will also consider the need to ensure both that all Clerks at the Table are identifiable and all similarly attired; as well as the appropriate uniform given the range of other duties performed by Clerks during the working day.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hong Kong: National Security

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent rulings by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal that the National Security Law can be used to investigate violations of British colonial-era laws, such as sedition.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and the systematic erosion of rights and freedoms and the high degree of autonomy enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The National Security Law is being used to systematically stifle rights and freedoms, not protect public security.Hong Kong's prosperity and way of life relies on respect for fundamental freedoms, an independent judiciary and the rule of law.The UK has already taken a number of actions in response to developments in Hong Kong. These include introducing a new bespoke immigration path for British Nationals (Overseas) (BNOs), suspending our extradition treaty with Hong Kong indefinitely and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Soil

The Earl of Caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 8 September (HL Deb, col. 867) regarding the publication of a soil health action plan for England, whether the contract put out to tender by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in March for the provision of technical assistance in developing a method for producing soil health indicators in England has been awarded to a company; and if so, whether soil health indicators have been published.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has awarded Cranfield University the tender to provide technical assistance in its project to develop a soil health indicator for England. Work is currently underway to establish this indicator based on a conceptual framework that links understanding of our soil systems with an approach that can interpret soil data and provide a foundation to indicate soil health in a number of scenarios. We plan to consult on the draft indicator in due course.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Freeports

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government which locations have been selected for a freeport.

Lord Greenhalgh: At Budget, in March 2021, the Chancellor announced 8 successful prospective Freeports locations in England, as selected following the fair and open assessment process outlined in the Bidding Prospectus. Locations selected to progress to the next stages of designation are: East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich (known as Freeport East), Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth & South Devon, Solent, Teesside and Thames.

Freeports: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify a freeport in Northern Ireland.

Lord Greenhalgh: We are working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure a suitable model for a Freeport in Northern Ireland is developed.  We need to ensure we meet our legal international obligations in Northern Ireland, and it is appropriate that we take our time to ensure that the Freeports model for Northern Ireland meets these obligations whilst delivering for the ports, businesses and communities in Northern Ireland.

Sleeping Rough: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide (1) support, and (2) services, to individuals before they have to sleep rough.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has committed over £800 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2021/22. We are providing £375 million of Homelessness Prevention Grant funding, which can be used by local authorities to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions, and to ensure families have a roof over their head. This includes an exceptional top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for this financial year with an additional £65 million for local authorities to help vulnerable households with rent arrears to reduce the risk of them being evicted and becoming homeless.This funding supports local authorities to deliver their statutory duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, which came into force in April 2018. The Act placed new duties on local authorities to prevent and relieve a person's homelessness. Acting earlier and for a broader range of people means more people will get the help they need before they face a homelessness crisis. Since the Homelessness Reduction Act came into force, over 400,000 households have had their homelessness successfully prevented or relieved through securing accommodation for more than 6 months.

Planning Permission: Carbon Emissions

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the planning system supports local authorities to contribute to the net zero emissions target.

Lord Greenhalgh: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change in line with the objectives and provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008.In July 2021, we updated the NPPF to place stronger emphasis on the importance of delivering sustainable development and published the National Model Design Code to provide Local Authorities with tools and guidance to help make sure development responds to the impacts of climate change, is energy efficient and reduces carbon emissions.We are also taking action to ensure the homes we build are fit for the future through the Future Homes Standard and the 2021 interim uplift to the energy efficiency standards for new homes.As last week’s Net Zero Strategy set out, we will make sure that the reformed planning system supports our efforts to combat climate change and help bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.The Secretary of State is considering the best way forward in relation to proposals to reform the planning system and will make an announcement on next steps in due course.

Urban Areas: Local Government

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cities have single member electoral wards; what are the criteria for establishing a single member electoral ward; and in such wards, what contingency measures can be taken if the single representative is unable to undertake their duties.

Lord Greenhalgh: In England, warding arrangements and reviews of them are a matter for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, an independent body accountable to Parliament. When undertaking reviews, the Commission consults with the councils themselves and local communities. All of the Commission’s recommendations as to warding arrangements are subject to Parliamentary approval. Any contingency measures are a matter for the relevant council itself to arrange.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to seek locally-led proposals for local government reorganisation.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government’s approach is that locally led local government reorganisation is an option for areas where there is strong support for this and it remains the case that councils in such areas may seek an invitation to submit proposals for new unitary structures.

Local Government: Meetings

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable local government representatives to conduct business virtually.

Lord Greenhalgh: We launched a call for evidence on 25 March to gather views and inform a longer-term decision about whether to make express provision for councils to meet remotely on a permanent basis. The call for evidence closed on 17 June.The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond in due course.

Northern Ireland Office

Vaccination: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the implementation of vaccination programmes in Northern Ireland.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Thanks to the UK-wide vaccine rollout, over 85% of Northern Ireland’s adult population have received two doses of the vaccine. It will be important that we maintain this collective approach as we seek to recover from the pandemic. Ministers across the UK Government speak to those in the Northern Ireland Executive and other devolved administrations on how they can support nationwide rollout. Although each devolved administration controls its own public health policy, we have been coordinating our responses to Covid, seeking alignment in policy and approach where appropriate, to ensure we tackle the pandemic effectively.

Treasury

Environment Protection: Taxation

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans theyhave to raise taxes in order to pay for their environmental policies.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and has published the Net Zero Strategy on how the UK will deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The government has also published the Net Zero Review exploring the key issues and trade-offs as the UK decarbonises. As the Net Zero Review stated, if there is to be additional public spending, the government may need to consider changes to existing taxes and new sources of revenue during the transition in order to deliver net zero sustainably, and consistently with the government’s fiscal principles. The government keeps all taxes under review, and any changes are made in the round at fiscal events.

Archegos Capital Management: Insolvency

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact of the collapse of Archegos Capital Management on regulated and authorised entities by the (1) Financial Conduct Authority, and (2) Prudential Regulation Authority.

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact of the administration of (1) Greensill Capital (UK) Limited, and (2) Greensill Capital Management Company (UK) Limited, on entities regulated and authorised by the (a) Financial Conduct Authority, and (b) Prudential Regulation Authority.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Since the financial crisis, we have implemented sweeping reforms to financial regulation. Through the Financial Services Act 2012, we dismantled the failed tripartite system, and replaced it with a set of regulators with clear objectives and responsibilities, with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) responsible for the prudential supervision of the UK banking sector, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for ensuring proper conduct in line with UK financial regulations. The impact of a specific business failure on authorised and regulated entities in the UK is a matter for our independent financial authorities, the PRA and the FCA. Although HM Treasury does not comment on supervisory matters, we continuously monitor risks across the financial sector and respond where appropriate in coordination with the independent financial authorities – the FCA, PRA and Bank of England – as well as relevant government departments.

Energy: VAT

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to cut VAT by five per cent on energy bills in the Autumn Budget.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: In recognition of the fact that families should not have to bear all of the VAT costs they incur to meet their energy needs, the Government already maintains a reduced rate of 5 per cent VAT on the supply of domestic energy, at a cost to the public finances of £5 billion per year.Going further would impose additional pressure on the public finances and that cost would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere or reductions in Government spending.The Government keeps all taxes under review.